Across the Atlas One Blog at a Time

Rio de Janeiro

After exploring the city, the time came for us to crash on the beach. Seriously, we slept on the beach like bums. It was a very interesting experience. This event led up to the real reason as to why we were in Rio, to see Pope Francis.

published by Hugo Morel

It was a nice 2013 winter day in Rio. The sun came and went at times. When the sun came out, it was extremely hot for the winter time. The type of hot that would give you a headache. Like the picture above, many of us found something to shield our heads from the sun.

skyscrapers in Rio by Hugo Morel

Once lunch time came, we had to stay in line for about 2 hours to get our meal and our meal cards. The meal cards would give us two free meals per day. The pictures below were taken during us waiting in line.

more Rio’s skyscrapers, Hugo Morel

lady getting her lunch, Hugo Morel

the hectic line, Hugo Morel

Once night time came, we found our spots on the beach to sleep. We decided to explore a little around the city. Going with the flow of the crowd, we got dragged into a march from people all over the world. It was very interesting meeting and talking to them.

night time Rio’s streets, Hugo Morel

marching, Hugo Morel

After a rough night of trying to go to sleep, the pope came. The crowd was extremely cheerful. With 64.6% of Brazil being the pope’s follower (not on twitter), the beaches of Copacabana were never this filled. It was amazing to be apart of history.

the pope on the screen, Hugo Morel

the hectic crowd, Hugo Morel

skyscraper, Hugo Morel

After seeing the pope, the crew packed up and headed towards the airport. Unfortunately, we missed our flight. We had to negotiate a deal with the airlines. Long story short, we had to drive from Rio to Buenos Aires. Trust me, it was a butt-numbing experience.

the stink-eye, Hugo Morel

Thanks for taking your time to read this post. Don’t be like the guy in the picture above, drop a like and a follow. Much Love! Next week we go to Miami!

Rio’s metro is the second most used in Brazil. With 1.1 million riders daily and 401.5 million yearly, the metro is on a global city level.

published by Hugo Morel

subway entrance

taken by Hugo Morel

Waiting for the train at the station, makes you feel like you are in Brooklyn, NY at the L train Bedford ave stop. One way metro fare is R$3.50. Remember that the American dollar is about double of Brazil’s currency. The pictures below were taken as we waiting for our train. It was more modern than we expected. Being Americans, we tend to not think so highly about other countries’ subways.

taken by Hugo Morel

Taken By Hugo Morel

The picture below is one of Rio’s subway trains on the outside.

published by Hugo Morel

Taking Rio’s subway was very similar to New York’s. The train we took was like New York’s A train. You got your crazies and your trains’ panhandlers. The major difference is that the whole train is connected. In New York, the trains are separated by carts with doors in between each cart. While in Rio, there are individual carts but they are connected with no door dividing them. The train on the inside, looks as if you were inside a giant snake.

taken by Hugo Morel

taken by Hugo Morel

taken by Hugo morel

taken by Hugo Morel

Walking in the subway stations, we noticed a lot of shops. Very similar to New York’s Penn station. The pictures below were taken in front of a video game store in the subway station.

taken by Hugo Morel

taken By Hugo Morel

Rio’s Public Bus system is on a world class level. With 831 bus routes, you can travel anywhere in the city at cheap rate. The bus fare is R$2.40 one way. In American dollars, the fare is a bout $1.20. Make sure to know this when taking the bus, obese people have priority seating. Make sure not to look like a jerk.

priority seating sign

waiting for the bus

Rio also has an express bus called BRT. The BRT has it’s own private lane on the highway (USA, we should take notes!). Going on one of these buses, can get you across the city in no time. The picture below is a BRT station.

published by Hugo Morel

Thank you for taking your time to read this post. Drop a like and a follow. Much Love! Next week, we sleep on the beach and see pope Francis!

After experiencing a day of nothing but rain, the sun finally got over it’s shyness. We got to see Rio, the way it is in the movies. The true beauty of this city, was hiding from the gloomy weather.

published by Hugo Morel

Rio de Janeiro is a huge city with many wonderful neighborhoods. The global image of Rio usually resides in the neighborhood of Copacabana. Copacabana is located in the South Zone. From what the locals told me, this beautiful area was once only for the rich. With time, the beaches became open to the public. As seen in the photos below, the scenery is very alluring.

by Hugo Morel

By Hugo Morel

By Hugo Morel

By Hugo Morel

By Hugo morel

Modern art in Rio taken by Hugo Morel

The photos below, are more views of the Atlantic Ocean. The ocean really matches Brazil’s flag, Green and Blue.

the Atlantic Ocean

the Atlantic Ocean

The photos below were taken at top of Corcovado. Corcovado, meaning hunchback in Portuguese, is a mountain in the city of Rio. The mountain is known worldwide due to it’s iconic statue.

by Hugo Morel

By Hugo Morel

By Hugo Morel

by Hugo Morel

On top of Corcovado, sits the world famous statue, Christ the Redeemer. This iconic symbol is the staple of most Rio de Janiero postcards. To get to the statue, you can take a local bus tour or walk it. I recommend taking a local bus tour. It’s easier and safer. The roads going up the mountain are not very pedestrian- friendly. Once at the top, you must pay a fee to see the statue. We got in for free because we pretended to be priests. It’s hard to believe they actually believed us! I recommend to skip the gift shop. It’s too expensive and most what you find there can be bought at a lower price elsewhere.

published by Hugo Morel

Thank you so much for taking your time to read this post. Drop a like and a follow. Much love!! Next week we explore Rio’s metro!